Make way, make room, for Rian Johnson

Since 2008, I’ve been preaching to everyone within the sound of my voice that “The Brothers Bloom” by writer/director Rian Johnson is the most brilliantly crafted whodunit/caper/romantic comedy of its era. It’s one of those movies that springs surprises on you when you watch it for the fifth or sixth time.

Now Johnson as created “Knives Out” and lighting has hit twice. 

It’s the finest whodunit and parody whodunit — those are two separate niches, and one film shouldn’t work for both — of its era.

Both films feature sparkling and unexpected dialogue, and an adroit cast clearly having the times of their lives. 

For “Bloom,” it’s Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody as con artists and brothers who became grifters before becoming teenagers (the prologue, narrated in verse by the late, great Ricky Jay is wondrous). Their last mark before retiring is Rachel Weisz as an insanely rich recluse who collects hobbies. Weisz, as it turns out, has the finest comedic timing of the entire cast, which includes Japanese actress and model Rinko Kikuchi as a demolitions expert who reads, writes and understands English perfectly, but apparently can only say three words (two of which are “Campari” and the F-bomb). Weird little comedic gems like that are sprinkled throughout the film.

For “Knives out,” the smash-cast includes Daniel Craig, Christopher Plummer, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Don Johnson and Toni Collette. But Ana de Armas (“Blade Runner 2049”) is the beating heart of the film, holding her own against a cast with, oh, about 300 years of collective experience (and half of that is Plummer alone). 

(Rian Johnson also directed some sort of interstellar thing for The Mouse, but that’s the least-impressive thing he’s done. It probably paid well, so I’m not knocking him taking the gig.)

“Knives Out” is a terrific film. I will see it again, I’ll own it, and I’m buying the script, to break it down and figure out how Johnson keeps pulling off these stunning little masterpieces that have made him the best mystery writer in all of Hollywood today. (Please note that I haven’t even mentioned “Brick,” a noir mystery set in a high school and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt yet.)